Just like us, pets can have problems with their teeth. Dental disease in animals often goes unnoticed by the owner. They think that if the pet is eating, then it must be OK. Most animals are very stoic and never let on that something is wrong. However dogs and cats can get severe accumulations of soft plaque and and hard tartar, gum inflammation(gingivitis or very painful stomatitis), bad breath (halitosis), bone loss around the teeth (peridontal disease), tooth root abscesses, fractured teeth, cavities and resorptive lesions.
Signs of dental disease may include bad breath, excessive licking or abnormal movement of the tongue, chewing on one side of the mouth, bleeding along the gum line, bumps under the eye, and discolored teeth. Rarely will pets show a lack of interest in chew toys/bones or hard food or quit eating altogether. Clients often comment that their dogs act like puppies again after a good dental cleaning and extraction of any abscessed teeth.
When you bring your dog or cat into us for a dental cleaning, they will be put under general anesthesia. Then their teeth will be scaled (cleaned) with an ultrasonic scaler and polished just like the dentist does with our teeth. We will check for any loose, discolored, or abscessed teeth and extract any teeth necessary. We also check for peridontal pockets along the gum line and sometimes apply a special antibiotic gel in the pockets and along the gum line. Your pet may go home on on oral antibiotics and pain medications depending on the severity of disease.
Horses need regular dental check ups too. They get sharp points that need filed down. This is a process called floating that a veterinarian generally performs with the horse under sedation. Horses with painful mouths often develop behavioral problems or suffer from poor performance.
Pets of the rodent family such as rabbits, rats, gerbils and hamsters can suffer from uneven growth of their teeth. This can lead to problems of mastication or chewing of food. Sometimes the teeth grow too long and cause painful sores in the roof of the mouth.
Remember, prevention is the best medicine
